Provinces need at least 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – Galvez

The Antipolo City government administers free vaccines to its elderly residents at the cinema lobby of SM City Masinag, Antipolo, April 12, 2021. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Provinces nationwide need at least 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the country’s vaccine manager, said on Monday during the taped weekly Palace briefing on the COVID-19 situation with President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We will be comfortable when we have reached 10 million [doses] that we will be able to give more or less 50,000 doses per province,” Galvez said, speaking partly in Filipino.

“If we can give that amount, they will at least have time to finish then, and then we can give them more.”

According to Galvez, the 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will allow the government to reserve 5 million for the first dose and another 5 for the second dose.

At the moment, he said the government had an inventory of more or less 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines — more than 3 million of which are reserved for the second dose vaccinations.

Meanwhile,  Duterte reminded local government units to make sure they already had cold storage facilities for the vaccines.

“If you don’t have any now, then buy two to three freezers so you can store them there once they arrives,” he said.

“But the ideal thing to do,  once they get there, you immediately assemble the people there and start barangay per barangay [vaccinations]. Just keep injecting them,” he added.

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